Frank Herbert had it right.
This is the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (attacks, I will say again, that were facilitated by the Administration of George W Bush, who remained willfully blind to the growing menace of al Qaeda in favor of an entirely illusory threat posed by Iraq), and are we more resolute? Are we showing signs of the backbone that made this nation great?
Well, in many cases, a hearty Yes.
In other cases, um, not so much.
Case in point - the US Coast Guard scheduled a drill on the Potomac River for today. I applaud that - you train as you fight, and every component of the protective apparatus requires training and constant drills to make sure that every eventuality is prepared for. No weapons were fired, and there was never any need to tell anyone.
Unfortunately, the drill took place on the Potomac River. On September 11th. Near the Pentagon.
A lot of people started to panic, wetting their pants sufficiently to dye part of the river yellow as Fox News mobilized their entire Fightin' First Fearmonger Division to whip up the idea that there were Evil Terrorists skulking through our waterways.
A literal tempest in a chamberpot, but it required a Vice Admiral of the US Coast Guard to take time out to tell everyone that there was Nothing to Fear, Fox News to the contrary.
Meanwhile, there are a lot of people cleaning the underwear and drying out their chairs, their tiny minds possessed by fear.
More later.
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